Supreme Court of the United States

Sailors v. Board of Education of the County of Kent

May 22, 1967387 U.S. 105

Summary

The Court held that Michigan's method of selecting a county school board through delegates from local school boards did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment. Because the county board performed essentially administrative rather than legislative functions and was selected through an appointive process rather than an election, the constitutional one-person-one-vote principle did not apply. The Court therefore affirmed the judgment rejecting the challenge.

Holding

  • Whether the Fourteenth Amendment required Michigan to elect the members of the Kent County school board under a one-person-one-vote system.. No. A State may appoint local nonlegislative officials, elect them, or combine elective and appointive methods. Because the county school board was selected through an appointive process and performed essentially administrative functions, no election was constitutionally required and the one-person-one-vote principle was irrelevant.

Docket 430

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